Show 1 WuL 3 I b bT bl 4 T v I Iv 8 l The Rev Dr Potter Denies That the theA A thrilling moment in the drama from the a I Russian He Who Gd Slapped o is of Stage Is Hopelessly and Incur Incur- Incura rit the many plays playa which the Rev ev Dr Potter I thinks churchgoers could see ee with profit profitably ably Immoral d x xa 1 end Says Jess a ado 6 x l SI y rl a Kt se is Y v aC kY lr I a I q rI k 6 M Himself Would f R Condemn 1 Ir YO r t q qt a t t tr F c 7 t aL f r Our its ia K s S Sr SY r Y a 1 rY rYs s e 1 Pla Js Nor Movies a r a S cx ti Ay 1 s st t rp toma t tom a t CIS CISa a ti r MM f 7 nc W s sF F a r S 4 a et t x xI e e I Ir t tt t w wrt rt vr t i ia a t w f i a W rya kt r g 1 i r t to T 9 r 1 x t Rn Rna a i 1 1 Y tr t a 3 R A l r rA y r y r rR 6 4 sy I s sis isa a ra sass sass- d r F taP r is 6 s rd t wi rt 9 N er I t tic b os osY Y sr i i b p Cw u r C r ab i s S Sv SY SW v i Y W Y atia 4 of R x S a a at r a t a kit kitS 4 y 3 A kith h A 3 J a p 3 a i u e f a f v h f r f s f YAw tp Christ raising the daughter of Jairus from the dead y e eK K err r ry r v vt p an i incident more powerfully d than stage stager g x t e ev a or movie screen has ever known i 7 lf f rf P iI i Wt I jT f t i 1 gt c cr r M i 1 h i h pry 7 r E v vf f sr t 4 F a aea ea Charles Francis Potter t Y r M f By the Rev IJ ff tf i if 1 Pastor of o othe the West hest Side Unitarian Church New York r i x b Jt l t t tivy ivy ll CANADIAN revivalist Dr T T Sh Shields preaching in New York York York- recently spoke of the theater in very y terms lIe Ho is quoted as saying Baling sa ing that most theaters pander to the lust in man and that the theater as asan asan asan an institution tends to the destruction lIe He urged ins IllS hearers to pledge themselves not to attend attend the theater the and alT an but a dozen of his congi rose to their feet lIe He went ent further and said that he considered the theater hopelessly and incurably immoral I wish to examine tIllS this not uncommon point of view and I feel myself called as a Christian minis minis- minister minister minister ter to take the opposite point of view leW I belie believe belies e that Christians should at attend nd the theater The first reason why I believe Chris Chris- Christians Christians Christians should attend the theater is to Improve the theater Everybody knows that there is much in the theater that thatis thatis IS bad just as there are very Cry objection objection- objectionable objectionable objectionable able things in every human institution including the Church but that is no rea- rea reason reason rea reason son foi for staying a away ay from the theater Even een Dr Shields would agree I think that e is just as moral as ear car gate car gate for entering into truth The per per- perception per perception of of f truth by one sense cense Is just justas justas justas as moral of itself as by another Dr Shields would agree I think that hat it is the things which the eyes see and th thai ears hear on the stage which are not moral Then Dr Shields's real quarrel is not with Ith the stage but with Ith Its present message The vehicle is not Immoral it it is non-moral non You cannot punish the wagon winch which Inch conveys con con- contraband con contraband whisky The Cry ery v cry obvious thing to do with Ith the stage is to elevate its message rather than abolish the institution institution institution tion And the way to elevate it is not for good people to stay away but for them to attend criticize and demand better pIa playa a The second reason why hy Christians should hould attend the theater is to Improve themselves The drama dram drama is a II great means of education duC and no one can afford to neglect it in m the development of his personality The drama is 18 s very vivid In its portrayal of truth A play is a section of ot life lifted out of the ignored procession of eur everyday day things and dis- dis displayed dis displayed pIa played cd for examination and reflection If the drama is really high class high artistically conceived conceded and developed It depicts real life life real life The people in the audience see them themselves elves on the stager stage r The lessons which lie all around us neglected because of our preoccupation with our own affairs become very ery plain when hen we e sit in a R darkened room and see nem acted upon the stage The drama is progressive contemporary up to date The great drama A Af I f are the prophets of to- to today to today day dllY often far ahead of the religious prophets and the they usually have a better sense of i enl eal moral values T I hat is because the ch h lives closer to the people than the average Crage minister Much prophecy that we miss in m the churches we vas can find in the theater The educative value of the drama is recognized by br every while 01 th lle school day day to-day We know that it is ver very broad broad- broadening broadening ening ande and opening eve e It tends to de- de develop de develop the cosmopolitan or world pOint of view Mew That is because the theater IS the enemy of provincial provincial- provincialisms provincialisms isms of all sorts Many Christians are very pro- pro provincial and should attend the theater as a pleasant medicine for their own cure i iI I rather suspect that those who rose in m a wave of re- re fer fervor or and promised Dr Shields to quit attend attend- attending attending ing theaters are of the sort who seldom seldom attend anyway Jand and especially need the f message of the modern r drama Anyone Any one who ho responded responded to such an appeal to prejudice and f 3 ignorance certainly is sin In need of expanding hl his narrow provincial v Y mind Better for such such a aone aone one than a prayer meeting meet meet- jing Ing or an evangelical orgy olgy off of f renunciation renunciation-a renunciation a ticket to a S flike Theater Guild production like He lie Who Gets Slapped I IThe 4 The third reason why hy Christians should attend the f fc I c theater parado paradoxical as aa it f j may seem is to improve c the s- s Church I have two reasons for making this assertion In the first am firmly convinced that the Church needs to learn I what hat the world thinks about it It would reduce the size of sonic some ministers who are ac- ac accustomed accustomed ac accustomed to standing three feet above contradiction and hearing only only- the admiring murmurs of Aunt Sally ally after the sermon if they could attend some sonic of the 4 plays now running in New York City and get the reaction of a great and intelligent modern audience 1 when hen the Church is la mentioned I wish I could take the whole congregation that pledged es not to attend the theater to see Anathema or If Winter Comes Come H or The Fool They would see nothing obscene or offensive and would get a abig abig bIg modern R spiritual message It is that all three of these plays criticize the Church severely The Tho Church may rail against the theater but Ir t rv Y 1 Y S sr t tj 4 j t tr tAr r Ar F Fit it 4 a r t tY v Y i 0 3 r a y The un- un unmarried un j married mother in If 4 t I Winter J Comes r a play with what the Rev Dr Potter calls a big modern spiritual ky h the theater Is now with ith far more telling force pointing out the faults faulta of the Church And kt ht Dr Shields and Ills his friends never forget that hat abut the thea- thea theater theater ter is criticizing the ilIe Church for is Its lack of social morality and Its departure from real I Prom another viewpoint also the Church would be improved cd if I Its memo mein bers bera attended the theater for they would then become inspired to have plays m the Church ri a av 7 s v s r A r A M P t 1 t Sr SrM F r a h f fi i k Ae r s st t rp t t f e Lr 21 i r ri i Calling the twelve apostles another instance of Jesus Jesu great appreciation of dramatic values value A young oung lady quietly suggested to Dr Shields that dancing card playing and theatricals should be bo brought to the Church and given in m the right spirit and andin andin m in the right way in 11 the Church Dr Shields however shook hl his hii heed head with reproof That would only be converting the Church into an amuse amuse- amusement amusement ment place he said But what hat is the Church fort lorf for Shall the lie Church degenerate te 1 into peo- peo people people peo people who oho ho do nothing but listen to minis minta- ministers who ho do nothing but tell them what whatnot whatnot hat hatnot not to do The Church is as I take it for the development of human personality both and social and the drama is fJ isa Ma II a legitimate instrument for or that pur pur- purpose pur- pur purpose purpose pose My own O church has hils Little plas Theater pIa in s-m s in the social hall pre pre- presented pre presented by young oung people an and old people and md pageants on the pulpit platform In Inthe Inthe Inthe the church school sometimes whole ses sea sessions are given gl to dramatizing n a BIble stor story and I think it helps to develop Clop the tho th personality of the people and to improve i the Church Iam I am sin sure it educates the tho minister People forget the fallacy of the ex cx argument Dr Shields says SOS It ItIS itis itis IS the act of a n good Christian to give e up upal upal upal al al or worldly w Idly amusements amusements in order that his Jus neighbor may profit by this example lie He is Sa following literally Pauls Paul's famous statement If meat cause my brother to offend then I will eat cat no meat while the world r The example idea may have had 1 Treat reat force in 11 Pauls Paul's day and in Pauls Paul's and even esen e en day to-day your our may be somewhat influenced by your actions if you lou OU live in m a small smalltown smalltown smalltown town but how many city apartment dwellers dweller know whether or not their theu neighbors go to the theater and how much would it influence them one way ay or the other if they did know This e example ample argument isery is very ery far farmiller fa familiar miller to I meo-I me I was brought blought up on It There Thele I is a still more conscientious form of it They used to tell me not only not to do questionable things which i 7 I a t m if r rh j s 1 might h t not t t harm me but t fr which might Ei h arm a r m theother the theother i other fellow fellow k but also to ab abstain Wl stain stam from any any- anything a f thing which might look 1001 pt t evil cut C even If it it were notI not notI I remember I wanted to goof go of to see Ben Hur The Church people ad admitted that the play was Ins not ro o 0 bad bad bee 1 e it d dealt alt with Bible but if I wert my action would be misinterpreted by a weaker eaker brother who ho would euld say Charlie Potter went to the theater He is a church member so ao soI soI I 1 can go And he would go to a bad play amt ami his soul would be damned He would not so 90 I must ab- ab abstain ab abstain stain stam It did not seen to occur to my religious I advisers that the proper meth meth- method method method od is to teach discrimination rather than hy W tl hy by not apply the example argument argument ment nent to books boos Read no books on theol- theol theology theol theology ogy because some fiction is bad Why hy take even eyen the Bible Itself there n is mlle mere m re obscenity in m some parts of the Bible than time in m any New York ploy play now no running Shall I refrain from read read- readIng reading reading ing the Sermon on n the Mount because some pas passages ages in the Old Testament arc ale obscene ob-cene It all comes down to the question of prohibition versus character in religion The old idea was vans as to keep people good by secular laws The new idea is n to develop character by giving the the opportunity of choice The Christian life is not a negative thing It consists not in abstinence asceticism or monasticism but in an active life of good d deeds ds J Jesus himself said I 1 came that meir mur ha have hae e life and have it more abundantly We have ave rave had too much of negative C Christianity of Christianity too much concerned with Ith the other oilier world lorld of which frowns on the hi life of the tl day Jesu Jesus was as not that sort He went ent into nil all the amusements of bf his day We e cag- cag can cannot not dod a the U fact tact that Heas He was as a wine me wine maker maker at n a merry wedding His Ills ene- ene enemies ene enemies mies charged that Ho went ent around with publicans and sinners Of course Ho He did not go to the movies bolt bat Ho lie would have gone had bad there been any Je Jesus us staged dramas His recorded words indicate great oppre appreciation appreciation of dramatic values and his ac- ac ac actions hOlls at the timo of the driving out of the money changers at the triumphal l lentry entry andon and anI on numerous other occasions were ere highly dramatic The Tho spiritual call of day to-day Is not to cramp and confine our lives Ives but rathel to expand them and many model n plays plas pla sare are quite essential to t the e de dov ofa ofa of ofa a well rounded positive healthful per per- personality personality I |